I Was Reincarnated As the Hated Scummy Best Friend in a Gal Game and the Protagonist Is Useless

33

15, Game

I walk through the city alone.

Department stores, cinemas, cafes, amusement parks.

I visited various places I wanted to go with Toyotomi-kun.

“It’s not fun at all…”

I’m starting to think that what I really want is actually quite trivial.

It’s like eating something that looked delicious but didn’t suit my taste.

“…It’s a game store.”

I don’t usually play games.

But it seems Toyotomi-kun liked playing games.

I see.

If it were a date, we’d go not only where I wanted but also where Toyotomi-kun wanted to go.

“…………”

I’ll just go inside for a bit.

I don’t play games often, just occasionally app games, so it feels fresh.

My heart races as I explore the game store.

I don’t own any games, but the lined-up boxes excite me.

“Ah, this one’s cute. And this one’s handsome!… But Toyotomi-kun is more handsome.”

When I first saw Toyotomi-kun’s face, he seemed like an ordinary boy, not particularly handsome, but now I feel like he’s the epitome of handsomeness.

And then, I found it.

“This is… ‘Breaking the Chains of Sorrow’…”

It’s the title of the game Toyotomi-kun mentioned during our karaoke date.

It seems to be a PC game, so there shouldn’t be a problem playing it.

It was embarrassing to take a game with lots of cute girls to the cashier.

Did Toyotomi-kun endure this embarrassment…?

Toyotomi-kun is indeed strong!

※I would find out much later that there is also a downloadable version.

“I did it! I feel like I’ve gone rogue.”

I purchased a black, opaque shopping bag for 3 yen and dashed home.

If I were to have an accident while carrying this, the embarrassment would be so great, I might as well play dead even if I were alive.

Rushing back, I sprinted to my room to avoid being spotted by my mom.

“Why is this box so huge?!” I exclaimed in surprise as I opened it to find a first-edition visual fanbook (spoiler alert) and two game discs wrapped inside.

“The contents are so sparse…”

I was unpleasantly surprised by the excessive packaging, reminiscent of some online shopping site’s cardboard boxes.

The excitement of the box and the letdown upon opening it are something I think many should experience.

“Alright, let’s boot up the computer.”

I turned on my slightly outdated laptop, a hand-me-down from my father, and promptly installed the game from the discs.

“The chain of sorrow is broken,” announced the title call, and I was captivated by the screen filled with bright BGM and a lineup of cute girls.

“Wow, this is the view that Toyotomi-kun saw! Kyaa, so cute!!”

With my spirits high, I started the game.

It seems this person named Takeru Juumonji is probably the protagonist.

There’s a sense of incongruity with one character having no voice—perhaps they skimped on the voice actor’s fee.

“Ah, I can relate to this character. She’s cute.”

Though she doesn’t appear much, the character Emi Sasaki, with her youthful features, struck a chord with me.

She’s a character who’s deeply in love and dependent on her boyfriend, Hideyori Akechi.

It was too much for me to see myself in her, dependent on Toyotomi-kun (I’m aware of my own dependency issues).

“Emi is so cute, so very cute.”

I understood the feelings of Tsugaru Madoka, a character who frolics with Emi.

She’s incredibly cute!

Being treated like a little sister by the other characters somehow stirs a protective instinct.

“Why does Hideyori Akechi, the boyfriend character, hit on others when he has such a cute girlfriend? Isn’t that unbelievable?”

The boyfriend seems like a jerk, but I can’t quite grasp his actions, like coming to Emi’s rescue in a pinch.

I can’t empathize with him.

As I continue to select options, dark clouds loom over the story.

Moreover, the heroines’ presence begins to fade, and for some reason, the protagonist’s sister, Risa Juumonji, ends up taking center stage constantly.